Behind Blue Eyes
by Airame Phantom
Summary: Oneshot Songfic, Valerie finally captures Danny Phantom. But when Phantom tries to talk to her and tell her something important, he finds his own stmina is working against him and reverts back to human form. What now? DV, ending rewritten


A/N: Oh my gosh! Danny has blue eyes! (No, I didn't_ just_ notice, I just barely took it into_ great_ consideration! Gosh, I'm not_ that_ dim!)

I made some changes, okay big changes to the ending.**

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**Behind Blue Eyes**

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_**5S5**_

_**No one knows what it's like  
To be the bad man  
To be the sad man  
Behind blue eyes**_

_**5S5**_

Danny grinned as he captured the Box Ghost in the thermos. "You know, I'm starting to feel sorry for him," he mumbled, capping the thermos. It was about four o'clock and after school.

_I mean, the guy has gotten out of the Ghost Zone four times this week already and I've caught him each time, _he thought. _It's just so disappointing to capture him without even so much as a fight. _He sighed. Danny was about to go back to meet Sam and Tucker where he'd left them at the park when, "I won't feel sorry for this!"

Before he even had enough time to turn around and face the ghost-hunter, he got shot down by a pink-red ecto beam. He yelled out as it connected with his body, blasting him square in the back. He was thrown forward, making a flip in the air and falling onto the pavement of the vacant parking-lot on his back, arms out-stretched. Something fell off from his belt. It looked like a cell phone. Danny rolled over onto his stomach and reached for it. Valerie floated down to the ground and pretended to step on it by only accident. "Oops," she murmured. "Sorry."

Danny withdrew his hand and picked himself up onto all fours. Then, a sudden pulse when through his body like frozen ice. His arm wrapped around his chest, trying to force the surge of pain away, but it wouldn't work. The pain emanated from where he'd gotten hit, right between his shoulder blades. It slowly spread throughout his body, feeling as if he were getting pricked and struck with pins and needles, eventually evening out to just pure pain. He clenched his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut. _What is this? What did she do to me?_ he thought angrily and painfully. It hurt to even think.

"Feeling a little pained, Phantom?" Valerie asked, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Valerie," Danny forced out his throat. He felt, suddenly, numb. The pain began to recede, leaving behind only a lingering sting. Danny sighed, but knew what was to come. _I can't go human...not in front of...Valerie, _he felt his thoughts become weaker, them only a soft echo in his head. Luckily, Valerie took out her version of the Fenton Thermos and uncapped it, pointing it at the weakened Danny Phantom.

"I've waited too long for this, worked too hard..." Valerie's words rang in his ears as a sudden white-blue light seemed to envelope him. Before long, he noticed that he had been trapped in total and complete darkness. A sigh left his throat as he vanish completely, only the faint echo of Valerie recapping the thermos letting him know he was still conscious. But after a few seconds, not even that was his. He found himself locked into unconsciousness.

_**5S5**_

_**No one knows what it's like  
To be hated  
To be fated  
To telling only lies**_

_**5S5**_

A small sound escaped Danny's throat. He felt something stinging in his arms. He moved slightly, then was shaken out of unconsciousness. _What...what's going on? _Another left his throat as a different sound entered his hears. He opened his eyes, forcing them to see. _Where am I? _But his vision remained blurry. His blinked several times, trying to clear them. Something came into view. He lifted his gaze towards something a short distance away. A figure was lying down on the floor, sitting up, then lying back down, again and again and again. _What going on? Where am I? What happened? _His mind was desperately trying to catch up everything that was going on. Danny felt he'd been away too long. He shook his head, a strange head ache making it's way into his knowledge. He groaned, made a face and tried to rub his eyes, but to his surprise, he couldn't even do that. His eyes widened. He looked up at his hands. Wait, shouldn't he be looking _**down?** I...I...What?_

He began to shake his arms. A look of panic washed over his expression. He was chained onto the wall, not being able to escape. But the good news was, and he was surprised there were even any good news, was that he was still in ghost form. _Well, that makes me feel better..._, he thought sourly.

"So you're finally awake," came a familiar voice. Danny looked in front of him at who was talking to him. Valerie stood there. She'd been doing sit-up, it now occurred to him. Small beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. Danny tried his best not to anywhere near frightened or panicked.

"Where am I?" he asked. "What happened?" His teeth clenched, his fists tightened, him pulling at the shackles around his wrists. He now found his ankles were also unable to be lifted from the ground. "What do you want with _me_?"

"Not too much, Phantom," Valerie spat. "What do you think I want?"

"Other than to make my life more miserable," Danny retorted right back. A stranger anger rose in his chest. _I've never...felt this way before. This...anger. But why? _

"Me make your life miserable?" Valerie spat at him, obviously getting a little frustrated herself. Danny could almost feel the tension between them. The air grew thick with both his and Valerie's anger. "What? And you don't think my life is bad as it is? The last thing I needed was for you to come butt your nose in my life. You ruined everything. _Everything_." She turned, walked over to her backpack and got what looked like a small ecto-gun. It was only the size of a handgun, but just as dangerous to Danny in his ghost form as anything. "I can destroy you right now," Valerie informed him. "It only takes a small movement for me to fire this beam at you and blast you into oblivion."

"Do it," Danny told her. _What the heck am I saying? _Valerie's eyes widened slightly, but quickly narrowed at him. "Go ahead, do it!"

"What do you have up your sleeve?" she asked.

Danny smirked noticeably. "Nothing," he said.

_**5S5**_

_**But my dreams  
They aren't as empty  
As my conscience seems to be**_

_**5S5**_

"Whatever you do, you're going to regret it," Valerie said, taking quickly aim at his head. Danny only leaned his head back into the wall, looking at her, smiling still.

"I don't _regret_," he said. _What is going on? What am I saying? Who is making me say this?_

Now Valerie felt her insides begin to contract, go cold, then finally made her hand begin to tremble. Why? Why did he have to say that? What is this? Fear? Fear of what? She said it herself, she's been waiting and working too hard for this. She can't let his words go to her head. Surely he has no plan and is only fooling around with her. Without even her consent or knowledge, her hand began to tremble, causing her aim to become fumbled. She saw as Phantom grinned a satisfied smile.

"Afraid?" Danny asked. _Oh man, what crevice have I jumped into this time! _"Come on, shoot me. Destroy me. Blast me into oblivion, like you said. Weren't you the one who was just talking about how I messed up your life? Go ahead, make your life better. Take me out of your misery. Erase me from existence. I can keep at this _all _day." _That's it, no more talking to Jazz after school or before I got to bed!_

Valerie glared at him. Her hand trembled greatly now, destroying her accuracy just like that. All she had to do was press her finger on top the trigger and he'd be gone, that smirk would never cross her path again, but she couldn't. She sighed, clenched her teeth, closed her eyes, put down her aim and turned her face away.

_**5S5**_

_**I have hours, only lonely  
My love is vengeance  
That's never free**_

_**5S5**_

_How could this happen? Why can't I shoot? This was my chance. The perfect chance. I'll never get it again. Didn't I say that I have worked to hard and waited too long for this? So why couldn't I do it? Could it be because I've grown used to him? Is that possible? No, it's not that I've grown **used **to him it's just that...I've grown too attached to him. Is that it? But I told myself, promised myself, this would never happen. That he was the enemy and I was not to get too attached to him, and yet here I am. I've grown to love his occasional heroics. I thought that my only love was vengeance. I could destroy him now, take him out of my life and taste the sweetness of knowing I'd defeated and destroyed him. But no. The sweetness wouldn't last too long. I wouldn't be able to take it if even** that **would be taken away from me. But if I don't get revenge, I will never even be able to taste it. Have I been living some sort of lie? Pushing myself to this point only to give up now? Have I...fallen for the enemy? Shown weakness?_

"Are you done thinking yet?" Danny's voice penetrated and broke through her thoughts completely.

Valerie glared at him with a hard, yet soft expression. "You're sick," she told him. "You're as sick as can be. Don't you have even the remnants of a conscience?"

"I have no conscience when neither does anyone around me," Danny said. _Great, what am I saying now? Did that make any sense? Oh boy, I hope it did!_

Valerie looked at him, perplexed and bewildered. "What?" The word finally escaped her lips, her voicing her own thoughts. What was he talking about? She has a conscience. Doesn't she?

Danny smiled against his will. It was almost as if another person had taken over, but he had complete control. He just wasn't using it. He looked at Valerie. "Don't you think I've had it rough to? I try to help out, catch all these ghosts." His smile vanish, turning into a complete frown, his teeth slightly clenched and his voice strained. "You think I _like_ being blasted from the sky and falling down to the ground, huh? I _try _to help everyone around me. I _try_ to keep the city safe. And yet there are people like _you_ who don't even know they're shooting at the good guy. You wanna know what I think of you as of now?"

Valerie didn't answer. Her mind was trying so hard to keep up with all of this. He claims he's the good guy, trying to help and all of that. But what about all the damage he's done to the city too? Didn't that count for anything? Did it?

Danny continued on, "Confused? Trying to comprehend and your mind doesn't listen to you, hm? Am I right?"

Valerie almost gasped, she stifled it. Her eyes looked at him sadly. His expression was blank, looking back at her puzzled one with hopeful, almost saddened and tired green eyes. Danny continued even more, "As if something was taken from you, or destroyed? And if you try to get it back, something more, bigger, will be stolen?"

_**5S5**_

_**No one knows what it's like  
To feel these feelings  
Like I do  
And I blame you**_

_**5S5**_

"It's your fault," Valerie said calmly. "It's was your fault everything fell apart."

"That's not true and you know it, Valerie," Danny said. "You know that's not true. You're fooling yourself into believing that just so you will think this is right. That you're hunting me because of a good reason. But deep down inside, you know that this is wrong. You're blocking out your conscience, blocking out its protests against what you're doing. Don't lie to yourself, Valerie."

"What do you care, Phantom? Why do you care what I do or don't do?" she asked him harshly.

"Is that a problem?" Danny retorted. "Is it a problem that I really do take my enemies feelings into consideration?"

"It's weakness," Valerie told him. "Feelings, emotions, they're all signs of weakness. They show that you aren't strong enough to take on the true challenge. To be an enemy you need to act like one. You can't ever take the time to see if your enemy is feeling okay and help them. You can't ever hope to defeat anyone like that."

Danny sighed and leaned back against the wall again. His arms hurt and he felt an ongoing sting in his head, it beginning to make him feel sick to his stomach. He ignored it, ignored it all. Had his feelings always gotten in the way? Now that he thought about it, he did always let himself be driven by his emotions, following his gut when he didn't know what to do instead of listening to logic. And whenever it came to finishing off the enemy, he didn't. _She's right, _he thought solemnly. _She's right about everything. But isn't there always a second truth or side to a story? There has to be. She couldn't have been **all** right, can she?_

"Got you thinking, didn't I?" Valerie asked him then. She shook her head in disgust. "I always thought you would put up a fight, Phantom."

"You don't even give me a chance," Danny said.

"To what?" Valerie asked. "You came here saying I make your life miserable. I told you, you made mine miserable. You think I want to give up that easily? I've learned, Phantom, to ignore my emotions. Unlike you."

_**5S5**_

_**No one bites back as hard  
On their anger  
None of my pain and woe  
Can show through**_

_**5S5**_

"And yet, you're only drive is anger," Danny said. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"Shut up," Valerie said firmly.

"Accept it, Valerie," Danny said. "No matter what you do, emotions are what you live on. People say it's not true, but it is. Without them you're an empty shell. You aren't an empty shell. I know so."

"I said shut up," Valerie repeated, her hands tightening into fists. The gun fell from her hand. Her shoulders began to tremble.

"You're not like those other stupid ghosts Vlad hires to hunt me down for him. You're not a ghost, or like any other girl I've ever met!" Danny said. It was as if her telling him to shut up only made him want to talk louder.

Valerie's hand rose up, but she forced it down again. "Be quiet, Phantom!" she shouted now.

"I just-" Danny started, but was quickly shut up. Valerie's hand rose up to him as a fist at first, then it opened up. She hit him full in the face with an open palm. She..._slapped _him.

"Shut up, just shut up," she told him. Danny's face was turned away from her now, him still recovering from the blow. He hung his head, now daring to look at her.

"I just wanted you to hear me," his whispered quietly. "I just wanted you to know who I really...am..."

Then it happened. As Danny talked.

_**5S5**_

_**But my dreams  
They aren't as empty  
As my conscience seems to be**_

_**5S5**_

"I'm not as cold as you think," Danny said, knowing completely what was happening. Valerie's eyes were filled with tears. She didn't know why. She wasn't supposed to show this type of emotion. She watched, though intently, as a strange white ring formed at Phantom's waist. "I'm not an enemy," Danny said." Valerie noticed that the ring split into two. One ring slowly traveled up while the other traveled downwards to his feet. "I never ever meant to hurt you, Val," Danny said.

That word struck a nerve. Phantom just called her 'Val.' But only Danny called her that. No one else has ever... Realization struck. The rings finally vanished, leaving behind a weakened Danny Fenton. He looked a mess, his blue eyes looked sad, hopeless.

"D...D...Danny?" Valerie asked, astounded by it all. She didn't know what was going on, what was happening. Was it a trick? Was it...real? _Please no, please don't let it be real! I wouldn't be able to take it. I'll...never forgive myself._

"I only..." Danny whispered weakly and softly, in an almost rhythmic tone. "I only wanted to love you..." His body slid down as far as the shackles would let him and he slumped against the wall. He was unconscious again.

_**5S5**_

_**I have hours, only lonely  
My love is vengeance  
That's never free**_

_**5S5**_

_It's not true. It can't be true. This can't be happening. It's not Danny. This never happened, this shouldn't be happening! _Valerie's mind screamed to shut all this out, screamed for the tears to stop. For everything to go back to the way it used to be. Her body seemed to almost sway from all this. She felt dizzy, confused, scared. But she rushed forth, grabbed a key from her pocket and unlocked the shackles. Danny fell forward and onto her. Valerie held him up, surprised by his weight. He looked so slim, but she guessed it must be because he had such a work-out with all these ghosts. She lowered him down, more because he was heavy than because she needed to unlock the shackles about his ankles. As she did so, many visions and memories ran through her mind like a wild-fire in a dry forest. All those times she'd fought with him, blasted him, it was all in vain. She'd been tricked into hating her only love. It wasn't vengeance she was after, it was her love for Danny she wanted to save. By getting rid of Phantom she thought she would finally be able to settle down and actually go out with Danny. But now...But now it felt as if everything was a lie. Everything was just an illusion sent forth by the one person who told her to fight. By Vlad.

_**5S5**_

_**Discover... L-I-M-P  
I...**_

_**5S5**_

Valerie turned Danny around so he'd be facing the ceiling. She sat up onto her knees and pulled him onto her lap. "Danny?" she asked, shaking his shoulder gently. Danny felt so limp. He didn't move, couldn't move. It was almost as if he were asleep, but she knew this was a little more tense. He was unconscious, not peacefully asleep. "Danny, please, wake up," Valerie said. She sure was grateful her father was at work. He would have been checking up on her way long before, gotten her grounded, and everything. Danny let out a small groan, but did not wake up. Valerie sighed. "Come on, Danny, please," she said. When no response came, she decided she might as well get him into bed. But she couldn't take him to his house, his parents will wonder what was going on. And he couldn't keep him here, what is Tucker and Sam came to look for him? Did _they _know she was a ghost-hunter? "Guess I've got no choice," Valerie mumbled and gently slid her arms beneath Danny's knees and arms. "Come on," she said, trying to stand now.

To her surprise, he felt lighter than before. She looked at him. His expression looked troubled. She wondered if your dreamt when you were unconscious. If you did, what could he be dreaming about? She walked over to her bed and laid him down onto it on his back. She slid her arms out from under him and sighed. She then proceeded to taking his shoes off. Now she knew he must be dreaming about something. His brows furrowed in almost puzzlement. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. She wondered...she wondered if he was dreaming about...about her. About what happened just minutes before.

She felt her cheeks begin to redden and felt her blood warm her face. Valerie tried to breathe steadily. She would have to give him an apology when he woke up. This was somewhat her fault after all...

"Oh Danny," she said quietly, sitting down on the side of the bed next to him. "I'm so, so sorry. I hope you can forgive me..." She stood then and walked off and out the door.

_**5S5**_

_**No one knows what it's like  
To be mistreated  
To be defeated  
behind blue eyes**_

_**5S5**_

"Valerie..." Danny whispered. "Valerie...Valerie!" He bolted straight up. He found himself waking up in the same room he'd been in before. His head no longer hurt, but his cheek still stung slightly. He wondered what had happened. "Agh," he groaned, wiping his forehead of the cold sweat that seemed to be on every muscle he knew had sweat pores. No, he was exaggerating. He sighed and looked around. This was Valerie's room but...where was Valerie. "I'm alive," Danny said. "So that means she didn't kill me. Okay, cool." Only now did the last few minutes of his consciousness really come into his conscious mind. "Oh no," he said suddenly. He looked at his hands. "I'm in human form!" He quickly stood, then stopped. "But I must have transformed while I was still conscious or else I wouldn't remember her...calling me Danny." He gazed at his shoes on the floor. _Does...does this mean she forgives me? She accepts that I'm Phantom?_

He sighed and looked around again. His eyes stopped on what looked like a piece of paper on the desk top in the room. He walked over to it and picked it up. It was a note. Reading, he saw why she wasn't there. "Dear, Danny. When you wake up, I may still be out. I went for a short fly around the city. I hope I find some ghost to beat up. I dunno, I just need to blow some steam. And, Danny, I'm sorry, really, I am. For everything. Love, Val." Danny lowered the note. "Love," he whispered again. He put the note down completely and went out the room. He suddenly felt uncomfortable standing out in Valerie's hallway so he went right back into her room, known territory. He gulped and went to sit on her bed. He didn't know what to do, when she'd be back, how long he'd have to wait. But more importantly, how he would explain everything and answer any questions she may have.

He crossed his legs and just sat there, his shoulders slumped and feeling helpless. This shouldn't be hard. He was the one who was supposed to have it easy since she was the one who would be the one who felt sorry. But, he felt sorry too. He looked at his hands as if feeling guilty. "Why is this so hard? Why do I feel this way?" he asked himself.

"You're awake," came a sound from the window. Valerie stood there, in her ghost-hunting out-fit, on the window ledge, jet-sled in hand. She climbed in the suit quickly dematerialized from her body, the jet-sled folding then vanishing as well.

"Yeah," Danny said.

"You've been out for nearly an hour or so," she remarked. Small talk, not a bad idea.

"Really?" Danny asked. "It's felt like not enough time. My head still...feels fuzzy."

"Sorry about that," Valerie said. "The beam I used on you before was supposed to knock you out. It must have had some side-effect since you're...human too."

"Oh," Danny whispered and watched as she walked over to him.

"How...how do you feel?" she asked.

"Sick," Danny said. He forced a small smile. Valerie returned it, but both smiles soon vanished. She sat down next to him and looked at him.

_**5S5**_

_**and no one knows how to say that they're sorry  
and don't worry  
I'm not telling lies**_

_**5S5**_

"What?" Danny asked. Her gaze was so intense, her eyes locking with his. It was almost as if she wanted to read his thoughts. She leaned in. Danny's eyes widened. _What...what is she doing? _Valerie's eyes closed. Danny didn't move, only watched her as she leaned in closer still. Now he could feel her warm breath on his face. Their lips brushed. Danny's eyes closed as he awaited what was going to happen. Then...then...

...she stopped.

"I can't do this," Valerie whispered. She almost felt ashamed. She opened her eyes, backed off slowly. Danny caught her, cupping her chin between three fingers. He smiled.

"Do what?" he asked. "You don't need to do anything. I don't care."

"Danny," Valerie started, looking into his deep, blue eyes. She shook her head and turned her face away from him. He frowned and brought his hand back down.

"What?" he asked, leaning in now himself, trying to look at her face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," Valerie said. "About...all those times I tried to...almost kill you. I really am sorry for everything I ever did. I would never have tried to hurt you if I knew."

"I guess that's sort of my fault too," Danny remarked.

"But I always thought we were enemies. I never thought you would be the actual hero," Valerie said.

"I guess that for some people you were the hero," Danny said. "For some I'm still the enemy. For a lot, actually."

"But they're wrong. I was wrong. I took the time to just think things true, trying to figure out your reasons for everything you've ever done and now I know that you were really just trying to help like you always told me. I was a fool to actually believe Vlad and-" Valerie was cut off from her speech of redemption by two soft lips crossing paths with her own. She hadn't even noticed that Danny had closed in on her. She had been too caught up in everything that...she just...hadn't noticed. Danny pulled away quickly, the kiss only lasting a couple of seconds. He smiled sheepishly.

"Please stop talking?" he said. "It's not your fault." Valerie was caught in almost a daze. She nodded feebly. "Listen, there are three types of people. Ones that are the good guys, the bad guys, and finally the ones who are called avengers." Danny held up three fingers. "You are an avenger. Someone's who's misled and believes to be on the right side. The person who's really to blame is Vlad because he was the one who set you on the wrong path. So there, problem settled."

_**5S5**_

_**But my dreams  
They aren't as empty  
As my conscience seems to be**_

_**5S5**_

"You're crazy," Valerie said, chuckling now and shaking her head at the boy. Danny looked at her with a confused expression.

"What's so funny? It made sense didn't it?" he asked.

"That's why," Valerie said. "I never thought something as crazy as that would make sense. We're both crazy."

"At least we're not completely alone," Danny remarked. Valerie laughed some more. Danny still didn't get it. He remained serious and...confused. But unfortunately for them, a loud banging on the door came into their ear-shot span.

"Valerie!" two voices chorused, then became out of sync.

"Sam and Tucker," Danny said. Wow. Took them long enough. "I can't believe they actually found me." His voice lowered a tone into an almost annoyed voice. He crossed his arms and said, "Took them long enough. I could be dead by now."

Valerie shook her head again and stood. "Might as well open the door," she said and walked to the door. The minute she opened the door, two teenagers came piling in. Sam and Tucker, who used to be standing, found themselves sent sprawling forward into the room. Valerie stepped to one side just fast enough to not be caught.

"Valerie, we can't find-" Tucker started. He stopped once a certain figure came into view. Danny had stood up and had walked near them. "Danny!" Tucker and Sam chorused.

"Hey guys," Danny said happily.

"'Hey guys'? 'Hey guys'?" Sam nearly screamed. "That's all you have to say after disappearing for nearly three hours?"

"Sorry," Danny said. "I kind of got caught along the way," Danny said. Valerie laughed.

"Why'd you guys come to my house anyway?" Valerie asked then, wondering what the two teens would reply. Just as she had guessed, they stumbled over their response. "Forget it. Listen, we need to tell you something..."

Sam shared a glance with Danny. He only nodded. She looked back at Tucker and they exchanged a few mental words before looking at Valerie. "We'll listen," she said. She could only take what was to come with an open mind.

_**5S5**_

_**I have hours, only lonely  
my love is vengeance  
that's never free**_

_**5S5**_

After nearly half an hour, Valerie and Danny had explained to Sam and Tucker everything that had happened. They sat on the floor in Valerie's room, in a circle, exchanging awkward silence as they had finished their story.

"So..." Tucker said softly, trying to think of something. A thought crossed his mind. "So you guys are together again?"

"We..." Danny started, looking at Valerie. "We haven't really thought much about that." He looked at Sam. He'd been noticing a strange almost unsettling feeling coming from Sam. Was something wrong? She was looking at the ground, drawing a design with her index finger. "I can't really...say."

"I really need to think about it," Valerie said then. "I don't know, it feels as if there's still something I need to do..."

"If it concerns beating up Vlad, then I'm sure Danny would be happy to help," Tucker said.

"No, Tucker," Valerie said. "I think maybe I need some more alone time. You know, to settle my thoughts on the matter. But if Vlad needs beating up I'm sure to call."

"Interesting story," Sam said glumly. "Can we go now? My parents are going to kill me."

"It's only actually seven or so," Tucker said. But Sam had already stood and was waiting. Tucker sigehd and stood as well, Valerie and Danny following suit.

"It was nice knowing you're not going to fry Danny's butt from now on, but we got to go and give you you're alone time," Sam said.

Valerie understood where she was coming from. She's known that Sam liked Danny since the whole Ghost King thing had happened. Her knowing Danny's secret now was only something else to pull her closer to Danny and Sam didn't like it. "Yeah," Valerie said. "I'll just see you out..."

"Bye, Val," Danny said as they exited the door. Valerie smiled and waved, closing the door behind the trio of friends.

She had a lot of thinking to do.

_**5S5**_

_**No one knows what it's like  
To be the bad man  
To be the sad man  
Behind blue eyes**_

_**5S5**_

Danny awoke the next morning in his own room and bed. He groaned as the sun-light that entered his room sliced through his dreams like a light with a sharpened edge. He turned to one side and then noticed something. His window was open. He did a double-take and looked at the it. Yeah, it was open alright. But who opened it?

Danny rubbed his eyes and sat up in his bed. Something caught his view as the blankets fell off him and onto his lap. A folded paper sat on his bed. He blinked. What...was going on? Picking up the paper, he noticed that a strange sick-feeling began to tug at his stomach and his hand trembled. He unfolded the note and read it.

_Danny, meet me at the park ASAP. It's really important._

_-Val_

Danny just stared at it. On one part he was relieved, but on the other he was wondering what Valerie would want to tell him so bad they had to meet in person. Well, he sure as sugar wasn't about to waste time thinking about it! He quickly got out of bed and began the daily routine of getting ready for the day which included: taking a shower, changing into fresh clothes, brushing his teeth, and trying to get his hair to actually look like he tried to actually comb it; otherwise it looked like something furry was trying to swallow his head. He was ready in less than thirty minutes and was soon going down the stairs and out the door. "Leaving. Park. Be back later. Bye!" he shouted as he went, not waitingto see what his parents, who were sitting in the living room, would say.

Before long he was in ghost form and flying at his quickest speed to the park. This would both save time and ease his worries and curiosity sooner. The park came into view and he flew down into a secluded area to revert back to human form. Walking out, Danny began to scan the park for any sign of Valerie. He caught sight of her just a ways from him. "Valerie!" he called, almost startling the girl. He ran over and skidded to a stop in front of her. He smiled, but he could tell the smile she returned almost forced. "I got your note. What's the problem?"

Valerie took a deep, shuddering breath. She looked at Danny solemnly. "Danny, I didn't want to leave without talking to you, so I told you to come here. And well..."

"Leaving?" Danny asked as she trailed off. "Leaving to where?"

"California," Valerie said sadly. "You see,my dad came back last night and said he was taking me on a five-year business-trip across the country. He said that he was going to have a better job there. You should have seen him, Danny, he looked so happy when he was telling me the news. I couldn't help but say yes. If he can keep the place, another Axium Labs corporation, up and out of harm's way, then he can keep the job. He'll get better income and everything. I thought about you for a very long time. I couldn't call you, of course, since it was near midnight, but I just needed to let you know about this. So I gave you that note for you to come here. I needed to say good-bye."

"But yesterday..." Danny started, not knowing how to grasp this. She was leaving...

"Yesterday was probably one of both the happiest and the weirdest days of my life," Valerie completed the sentence for him. He made no effort to say that wasn't what he was going to say. "And, I found out that no matter what, I'll never forget you, or you dumb heroics during fights and battles. I'm never going to forget that my first kiss was with the guy of my dreams. And I truly am sorry for everything. But I know that Amity Park is as safe as can be with you around."

"But..." Danny tried again, but the words never seemed to come out. If words couldn't explain it, or rather wouldn't explain it, thenforget words. Dannypressed forth and hugged Valerie, who hugged back. He whispered, "I'm gonna miss you, Val."

"I'm gonna miss you too," Valerie said. "ButI'll send you a letter as soon as I can. That'll probably be the only way to communicate since it's going to be awhile before we get settled in and actually buy a house. I love you and always will love you, never forget that. And Danny? Don't forget me?"

"How can I forget you?" Danny asked, almost laughing now. "After everything Phantom and Ghost-Hunter have been through? Impossible."

Valerie smiled. She knew he was just trying to lighten the moment with sarcasm and jokes, but inside he was pretty sad. "Thanks, Danny."

"For what?" Danny asked, looking at her now. Valerie smiled.

"For everything," she said softly. "I'd better go now. My dad's probably waiting for me."

Danny nodded feebly. Valerie looked at him sadly. She smiled as a wicked thought crossed her mind. She leaned in forward and pressed her lips onto Danny's. Danny couldn't believe what was going on, but he didn't care either. He kissed her back, only to find she'd begun to pull away. "I love you, Valerie," he whispered. Valerie smiled.

"Bye, Danny," she said and began to walk away. Danny stood there, watching her go and giving a short wave. There she goes, probably the love of his life, disappearing into the distance just like that. Everything they'd gone through the day before... What bad timing her father and Axium Labs had. What awful timing... All his fears towards whether Valerie would ever find out his secret had vanished and actual hope had risen in his chest and heart that day. It was all gone. He might never see Valerie again if her dad really did get the job, which he was sure he would. But then, maybe, it wasn't all wasted. Valerie said she would send a letter as soon as she could. That was something to look forward to, right? Danny sighed. "At least," he mumbled. "At least she said goodbye..."

* * *

E/N: I've never paid much attention to Valerie's eyes, but they're a bluish-green color, right? So yeah, this song relates to her just as much as it does to Danny. And, by the way, I'm not really a D/V shipper, I'm actually D/S. But I didn't know if this song would really work for Danny and Sam. Also, it's my first D/V fic, so don't hate me if it sucked big time! Sorry about the ending, but the last verse of the song and the last part of the video for this song really got me thinking. Anyway, I hope you liked it. 

--Airamé Phantom


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